An approach to insert advertisement into content such as video, movie and music to make the advertisement reproduced in exchange for free view of the content has been adopted in the past.
However, this approach requires interruption of reproduction of the content in order to make the advertisement viewed in the middle of the content.
In order to solve this, other approaches to make the viewing of the content and CM (commercial message) flexible have been considered, such as an approach to make the advertisement viewed prior to the content, an approach to equate looking at an advertisement on a home page with viewing the advertisement and the like.
As a related technique, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-2003-078902 discloses a CM information management device. In this related technique, a CM-configuration-table-added program management unit of a CM information management site receives a program request specifying a program name from a pay program receiving terminal and then transmits to the request source a CM-configuration-table-added program including video and audio information constituting a CM-inserted pay program and a CM-added program configuration table indicating the reproduction order. Also, when receiving a CM deletion request, it transmits a program configuration table in which the CM reproduction order is omitted to the pay program receiving terminal as the request source. If an input reception unit receives the CM deletion request from a viewer after a video and audio processing unit reproduces the CM-inserted pay program, the pay program receiving terminal obtains the program configuration table and reproduces the pay program in which the CM is omitted.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-2005-191617 discloses a prior portion viewing method. This related technique is a prior portion viewing method in a prior portion viewing apparatus comprising an information server that provides a program service depending on a view history of a user through a communication line and a television broadcast recorder that is capable of communicating with the information server. According to the prior portion viewing method, the recorder notifies the information server of programmed recording information to obtain advertisement information. When the user views the advertisement, the view history is stored. The advertisement view history in the recorder is notified to the information server and thereby the associated program service is obtained.
However, according to the above-mentioned method, a reproduction procedure of the content is fixed and thus the reproduction procedure cannot be set depending on a dynamic condition.
As another related technique, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-2005-204233 discloses a digital broadcast receiving device. According to this related technique, the digital broadcast receiving device receives a transport stream including a content stream, a CM stream, a privilege video stream, and a program stream consisting of CM reproduction detection information for detecting CM stream reproduction and stream switching detection information indicating a timing for switching to a plurality of privilege video streams. The digital broadcast receiving device analyzes contents of the received transport stream and extracts the CM reproduction detection information and the stream switching detection information. When detecting the CM reproduction detection information, the digital broadcast receiving device creates a CM view history in which the number of CM viewed times is recorded. When detecting the stream switching detection information, the digital broadcast receiving device selects a privilege video stream from a privilege video list that designates the privilege video stream depending on the number of viewed times, and reproduces the selected privilege video stream.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-2006-060423 discloses a program reproduction method, a program reproduction system and a recording and reproducing device. According to this related technique, when a broadcasted program is recorded and then reproduced, a screen image of an advertisement (commercial message) included in the program is skipped or a reproduction timing thereof is changed depending on an answer to a questionnaire. Since a method of reproducing the advertisement is determined depending on the answer to the questionnaire, it is possible to achieve a new program reproduction method where a viewer can continuously view the program content in exchange for the answer to the questionnaire that a company supporting the program desires for the viewer. That is, a broadcast device (broadcast station) adds the questionnaire at the beginning of the program and broadcasts the program. On the other hand, the recording and reproducing device reproduces the questionnaire, receives an answer from the viewer, and transmits the answer to a server. Consequently, the company supporting the program can easily obtain useful information (answer). Moreover, the recording and reproducing device changes a way of reproducing the advertisement (commercial message) to a direction desired by the viewer based on the transmitted answer and then reproduces the program. Therefore, a viewer's desire for the program reproduction is satisfied automatically.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application JP-2006-304106 discloses a digital television system, a printing method and a program. According to this related technique, a digital television content producer includes a program ID, a point data corresponding to the program ID, a print image and a print controlling script in an attached data of a digital television signal, and then transmits it. The digital television signal is received by a digital signal receiving device and is separated into a video section and a data section by a data separation device, and they are respectively transmitted to a video decoder unit and a CPU for processing. The attached data of the digital television signal transmitted to the CPU includes the program ID, the point data corresponding to the program ID, the print image and the print controlling script. The CPU automatically executes the print controlling script to store a CM point of a viewer and make a judgment of printing. If the viewer satisfies a printing condition, the CPU transmits the print image to a printer to execute the printing.